Cat taken out alive after staying 49 days under the rubble

Photo: AA

Click to read the article in Turkish

Nida Dina and her daughter Nil Beril were living together with their cat, the two-year-old Han in the Reyhan Kent 1 Apartment in the Onikişubat district of Maraş when on February 6 at 4:17 a.m., a 7.5 magnitude earthquake centered Pazarcık, Maraş struck the whole region.

Dina and her daughter were able to escape their heavily damaged house, but Han stayed behind. Later that day, at 13:24 p.m., in a second earthquake with a 7.6 magnitude in Elbistan, their 11-story building collapsed.

36-year-old Dina reportedly stayed around forty days in her car next to their building. Nonetheless, she did not find a trace of Han.

Forty-nine days after the devastating earthquakes that affected 11 provinces in Turkey, killing more than 50,000 and destroying or severely damaging over 227,000 buildings, Han managed to be taken out alive from the ruins of their former home.

Building owner Fahri Hatipoğlu said they noticed the cat while trying to save kitchen appliances, "We took the cat out together with friends. We delivered the cat to its owner immediately. The owners waited here for a long time."

Dina described the event as an incredible miracle. ''Until the last moment, I never lost hope. Han always slept with me,'' she explains.

With a fractured foot and unable to walk, the shorthaired grey feline is currently under treatment. According to veterinary Fatma Gül Hancıoğlu, the cat is severely dehydrated, ''Han is our miracle. God willing, she will survive.'' (TY/WM)